Full Moon
by Addicted2Damon
Summary: Post-episode The Sacrifice. Elena discovers that things are missing from her dresser. Guess who she calls.  Elena fears for Stefan, but this story is about Damon and Elena.     I've borrowed this characters. No copyright infringement intended.
1. Chapter 1

There was nothing but silence between them in the car. Elena's thoughts were in overdrive. How could her life and those that she love be so out of control. Everyone wants to help her, but there is...well there was only one solution and even that's gone. So what now? Stefan is captive in the tomb with Katherine. Jeremy has been affected by all this, it's taking it's toll on Bonnie, too. _All because of me_, Elena thought. Then there's Damon. Before she knew it, she was home. What a wonderful place to be.

"_Home sweet home."_ he knew she was frustrated. But she surprised him again. _"Thank you."_ Elena turned to him.

"_For what?"_

"_For everything. I still wanted to turn myself in to Klaus, but well I see that there were no guarantees with that plan."_ Elena was reaching for the door handle when he reached out and gave her other hand a squeeze._ "Any time. Now get inside AND lock the door"_ giving her one of his infamous trademark smirks.

The house was quiet. She took a peek in Jeremy's room and found him sound asleep. She heard faint voices coming from Jenna's room so obviously Alaric was spending the night again. Elena smiled at the thought that at least someone in that household was living a normal life. Well, about as normal as can be when you're in the dark about the existence of vampires, witches and werewolves.

Satisfied that everything was okay at home, her thoughts turned to Stefan and what could be going on inside the tomb with Katherine. Shuddering at the thoughts running through her mind, she started to strip off all of her clothes. Taking a shower to wash away the events of the day felt right, but thoughts of Damon entered her mind as the spray of warm water pelted her body. She closed her eyes as if to will them away. Memories of their heated argument in Slater's apartment; the way he talked to her; the way they came dangerously close to kissing and, being honest right now she wanted it badly. But he infuriates her; he frustrates her because deep down he is right. Giving herself up so easily was a fool's errand. There is no doubt in her mind that Damon will do whatever it takes to ensure that she survives this madness even if it means his life is sacrificed. He meant everything he said that afternoon and their battle of wills was an adrenalin rush filled with passion and something else...love though she won't admit it. Her thoughts drifted to sex as she caressed her body with soapy hands. If she would let her thoughts go there – sex with Damon made her hot and her nether regions began to throb at the thought. Reliving the argument again, the way he leaned in to kiss her made her heart race, her breathing erratic and she could feel her arousal dripping. Her eyes snapped open. Thinking about her boyfriend's ...scratch that ex-boyfriend...maybe boyfriend again brother is wrong, isn't it? _"Oh, god this is so wrong."_ Her fingers explored the slick wetness between her legs that had nothing to do with the shower; imagining what it would be like if it was his fingers doing the exploring.

The water growing cold snapped her out of those thoughts about Damon. After a quick rinse she stepped out of the shower and and wrapped herself in a towel and using another to dry her hair. She padded out of the bathroom and over her dresser. Elena frowned as she could swear her brush was where she last put it. It wasn't in one of her draws, it hadn't ended up on the floor. Shrugging it off as having misplaced it, she grabbed her comb from her purse instead. As she stood before the mirror combing out her hair, her eyes noticed that her picture of her as a cheerleader was missing, too._ "Ok, now that is weird."_ What else could be missing? A couple of things from her jewelry box seemed to be missing, but she wasn't sure which ones. _"Oh my god someone has been in my room."_

Damon was feeling lonely rattling around in the boarding house with Rose long gone. She could be two states over by now the way she bailed at the sight of Elijah. He hadn't expected her to become a permanent fixture any way. In fact, he didn't want her to become anything, but after the events of the day it, he could use the sexual release from a willing partner. He had enjoyed her several times the night before, but it was just sex and to be truthful his thoughts often turned to Elena during their trysts. Just as he was about to pour another glass of bourbon his phone rang. He retrieved it from the table and saw that it was Elena.

"_Hello, Elena. Miss me already?" _If Elena had video on her phone, she would've seen his trademark smirk.

He listened as she rattled off the stolen items from her dresser. _"My hairbrush and my picture are both gone along with some other things, I think."_

That was enough for Damon to become seriously fearful that an intruder could've been in her room the night before and now that he has seen that Elijah is alive despite the gigantic stake that he himself had drove into his heart, anything possible. Those sonofbitches might be able to enter a home without an invite for all he knew.

"_I'll be right over." _Before Elena could respond, he hung up the phone.

Elena searched again for the missing items, looking under the bed just to make sure they didn't end up there for some mysterious reason, but she knew the answer already that she wouldn't find them. Just as she got up from inspecting under the bed, Damon was already there which startled her even though she knew he was coming over.

"_Oh, my god you scared me for a sec. I don't think I'll ever get used to it." _Elena put her hand over heart as she gasped.

"_Well, you're the one with an open window policy. He probably got in that way." _Damon said gesturing to the window he had just entered. He then made a beeline for her bed, grabbing teddy in the process resting him on his chest. He patted the spot next to him suggestively.

"_You're not spending the night, Damon. I just need someone to talk to about..." _But Damon cut her off before she could finish her thought.

"_Au contraire, but I will be spending the night and maybe the night after this one if we don't get Stefan out of the tomb tomorrow." _

Elena's thoughts went to Stefan and what kind of games Katherine could be playing on him at this moment. _"I don't need a bodyguard, Damon. I'm done with kamikaze missions, ok."_

"_No, Elena I'm not leaving. Not with the possibility that this person...maybe even a vampire could pay you another visit."_ Before she could open her mouth, he was in front of her.

"_It seems odd that those items were taken, but they must be important to whoever was here." _They were face-to-face again and tension was building again between them. Elena was the first to move away by going to sit on her bed._ "I'm worried about Stefan"_, she said changing the subject.

"_Stefan will be ok tonight."_ Damon tried to reassure her as he sat next down next to her.

"_How do you know that? Katherine is psychotic and is capable of anything."_ She turned to face Damon _."Look, Katherine came back for Stefan, so it stands to reason that she's not going to hurt him while he's in there with her. Now if Stefan is lucky enough to do us all a favor and rip her heart while he's in there, I will bow down to him for eternity."_ Damon was serious that if Katherine was dead by the time they got Stefan released, a small portion of their problems would be solved.

"_I don't know..."_ Her eyes not meeting his.

Damon let out a sigh that he knew where she was coming from in her worry._ "Katherine may try to come on to him while they're in there, but my brother loves you."_ He didn't want to add to her fears that Stefan may not be able resist fucking Katherine. Elena didn't need to know that Stefan still had Katherine's picture all this time after their relationship took hold. Not that he was holding anything back, but he'd rather believe that he's not wrong about his brother.

They shared a look that they were both worried about what tomorrow may bring.

"_Hey, aren't you tired, Elena? I'm beat!"_ He offered a small reassuring smile as he said it.

"_Not sleepy, way too wound up." _Her yawn betrayed her words.

Damon beckoned her to lie flat on her stomach. _"Why?"_ Elena asked with a mixture of skepticism and suspicion...well the latter is up for debate. Nonetheless, she complied with his order.

"_Because I give fantastic massages." _She was wearing pj's that were similar to the ones he saw her in the night he returned her necklace after having told her that he loves her. It was going to be hard to stay in control because he wanted to make love to her so badly.

"_Damon, no funny stuff, k"_, Elena said as she stretched out before him.

"_Get your smutty mind out of the gutter, Elena. This is just a massage to help you get to sleep." _She gave a little laugh that let him know that she was ok with him touching her.

Damon kicked off his shoes and took off his leather jacket. He straddled her thighs making sure not to put too much of his weight on her as went to work massaging out tension in her shoulders. He brushed aside her hair to focus on her neck and was rewarded with low moan. _"Does that feel good?" _His voice was low and soothing.

"_Ummmmhmmm..."_ Elena uttered as he worked on her back next. She realized he had incredible hands as he got all her pressure points releasing tension that she didn't realize she had built up inside.

"_Take deep breaths and let it out."_ He was tempted to ask her to take off her top so that his hands would be directly on her skin, but thought the better of it. He was already feeling himself growing hard.

"_Don't stop. That feels so good." _That snapped him out of his thoughts.

"_I think that's enough. Sleepy now?_ She nodded her head.

He rolled off her and onto the other side of the bed. This is going to be a long night he thought to himself.

Elena scooted under the covers, but Damon decided it was safer if he stayed above them. He stayed awake awhile partly to listen out for the return of whatever or whoever entered the house the night before, but mostly thinking about what the future held for all of them if they survived. He rolled over and watched Elena sleep and remembered the night he visited her while she was sleeping and brushed his hand against her cheek. It seemed like an eternity ago and they have had rough times in between, but now having her friendship, knowing that she cares about him and it may have been a Freudian slip up on her part – love him.

Sometime during the night Damon was awakened by Elena softly moaning something in her sleep. He lay very still in case she moaned something else. It didn't sound like a nightmare so he wasn't worried on that front. Then he heard her utter his name. He rolled over to his side, propping himself on his elbow when he heard her softly moaning his name over and over. She started kicking the covers and pushing them down. Whatever she was dreaming seemed erotic. He had expected her to wake from it with a start, but she was sound asleep.

The morning sun woke him up, but to his surprise sometime during the night, Elena partially draped her body over his. Both of them above the covers. For a moment, he simply enjoyed the view and it would make him the happiest man on earth if he could wake up to her just like this every morning. But the reality is different. So he gently extricated himself from under her trying not to wake her. "Rise and shine sleepy head", he whispered in her ear.

"_Ummm...what time is it?"_ Elena said as she sat up sleepily and stretched. Damon checked his phone and the time was 7 a.m.

"_We've got to go check in on Stefan."_ Elena was already out of bed, grabbing some clothes from her closet.

"_What do you mean by we. There is no we." _Damon blocked her way to bathroom. _"You are going to school and I'll go check on Stefan. I'll stop by the boarding house and pick up a few bags of blood on the way."_

Elena pushed past him into the bathroom eyeing him... "We'll finish this conversation after I get dressed."

"_So why can't I go see how he's doing..."_ Elena asked as she exited the bathroom.

"_Because I promised Stefan that I'd keep you away from the tomb that's why"_, Damon replied. No sugar-coating, just the straight and honest truth.

Elena nodded her head, but it still didn't make sense to her.

"_Ok, I promise not to go inside the tomb, but only talk to him at the entrance."_

"_He said "No, Elena. Look he's concerned about you. He doesn't want you to see him like that and he wants to protect you."_

"_See that's the problem – both of you want to protect me, but..."_

Damon let out breath and rolled his eyes. There really was no arguing with Elena so spotting her car keys on the dresser, he sped over to where they were and grabbed them before she could.

"_Give them to me, Damon."_ Elena held out her hand, looking him in the eye.

"_I'll give them back to you this afternoon after school."_ He said depositing them in his jacket pocket. _"I'll drop you off at school and pick you up after."_ He said.

"_Damon, don't treat me like a child!"_ Elena's voice was louder than she had intended it to be. After all Jenna and Alaric may hear them. _"I won't do anything stupid if that's what you're thinking."_

Damon eyed her with suspicion. He knew she was passionate and stubborn. They were two of kind in many respects which is what drew him to her in the first place.

"_Ok, Ok, I'll go to school."_ Elena conceded.

Very little was said in the car as Damon drove her to school. Finally, Elena broke the silence as she looked straight ahead. _"So what's the plan to get Stefan out?"_

Damon didn't know if he had a plan yet. It pained him to admit it. _"I don't have one."_ He sighed. _"We need a stronger witch because the one we have now sucks!" _

"_Damon!"_ Elena exclaimed in mock outrage.

"_Sorry, but she does. She' s not strong enough to bring down the seal. Simple as that."_ Damon looked at Elena for a moment before turning back to the road ahead.

"_There is also a full moon tonight and that Tyler kid will be making his transformation. Have you talked to blondie lately?" _Damon asked.

"_Not in a couple of days."_ Elena replied.

Damon decided it was time that he made a call to Caroline later to find out what's going with Tyler. He didn't want any surprises tonight. Added to his worry is what will happen when Tyler transforms and with a werewolf roaming the woods of Mystic Falls, Stefan will not be safe with that creature on the prowl. He couldn't be bothered to give a fuck how Katherine would fair tonight, but he needed to get his brother out of there as soon as possible. In fact, nobody should be out and about tonight. Then again, nobody knows that werewolves exist and if any human is attacked it _truly_ will be the result of an animal attack.

Damon pulled into the parking lot of the school. Elena gave him a look that said she was still upset that he took her keys as she got of the car. _"Tell Stefan...just tell him that I'm thinking of him, ok."_

Damon acknowledged it with a nod. But before he drove off, _"By the way, don't think of skipping out later, I've got my spies everywhere."_ He really didn't have anyone spying on her, but she didn't know that. Elena opened her mouth to say something, but the words didn't come. So with an eye roll she walked off and Damon drove off with smile on his face.

Damon sped into the boarding house after having dropped Elena off to take a quick shower and change of clothes before grabbing a couple of bags of blood. Once at the tomb, he called out to Stefan. _"Stefan! I brought breakfast!"_

A few seconds passed when Katherine sauntered to the entrance wearing nothing, but her panties and bra. _"Well, hello lover. Did you bring me some, too?"_

Damon didn't know what to think. Could Elena's fears have become reality? Could that feeling in his gut be true?

Stefan came up behind Katherine wearing nothing but his pants – no doubt having just dressed.

"_Please, please tell me you didn't."_ Damon looked on at him and at the two of them.

Stefan said nothing, but the look on his face told Damon the answer.

"_Of course we did. I told you I was bored and Stefan and I played all night"_, Katherine said putting the emphasis on the _all_.

"_You – shut the fuck up."_ Damon pointed at Katherine and then went back to glaring at Stefan who still said nothing. He turned to walk away, but not before tossing the blood bags inside the tomb.

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk, Somebody must've got up on the wrong side of Elena's bed."_ Katherine teased.

Damon was so angry at what he was seeing before his very eyes he could've let his emotions get him in the same predicament that his brother was in. If there was ever a time that he wanted to kill his brother it was now. Right now the only thing saving Stefan's life is the trap that the tomb posed. But he knew that Elena's life depended on him keeping a level head. As he walked away, Stefan called out to him.

"_I'm sorry. Promise me that you won't tell her. If...when I get out of here I'll do it."_ Stefan said.

"You do not have the right to ask me to promise you anything, Stefan. Damon turned back to direct his response. _"I will protect her and I'm still going to find a way to get you out, but beyond that I'm not promising you anything. So was she worth it?"_ Pointing to Katherine in disgust. _"Because Elena wants to see you and I'm keeping her away because you asked. Now you've given me another reason. I don't want to see her heart broken because you made the decision to screw that bitch."_

If Damon pounded on the steering wheel any harder, he would've broken it. He wanted to scream out in anger and frustration. How utterly stupid could his brother be! He doesn't know if he can keep this from Elena. Hell, he doesn't even know that she would believe him if he did tell her. For now, it was easier to deal with the other pressing issues that they face than dealing with Stefan and Katherine like giving Caroline a call.

Damon picked up his cell. Caroline answered. _"Hey, Damon."_

"_Get yourself over to The Grill after school. I need to talk to about what's going to be happening to Tyler tonight." _

"_Ok, 'cos I wanted to talk to you about that."_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"_Elena, wait for me."_ Bonnie called out to Elena as she walked over to one of the tables to eat lunch. She could see that Elena was deathly worried about Stefan. _"I think I can get someone to help me with the spell." _

"_Who?"_ Elena came alive with hope.

"_Her name is Lucy. We met at the masquerade ball. Apparently, she was only helping Katherine because she owed her one. Any way I sensed her energy and she mine and in the process discovered that we are distantly relatived. She was the one who put a spelled on the moonstone to incapacitate Katherine long enough for Damon to put her in the tomb."_

"_Are you sure she'll help us?" _Elena was ready to trust anyone who might possibly be able to help at this point.

"_I remember her saying that I'll see her again. Sounds like she knows that I'll need her help sooner or later. The only problem...I don't know how to contact her." _

Elena thought for a moment. "Katherine must have been in contact with Lucy before the ball so she must have Lucy's number stored in her phone. Damon may know where Katherine's cell phone is since he drove off Katherine's car off the Lockwood property when he took her to the tomb.

Elena's phone beeped with the incoming text. _"Got it. Hey, how is Stefan? Have you seen him yet? "_

Damon closed his eyes as he hoped to avoid having to answer that question._ "Stefan is Stefan."_

"_Damon, how is he?"_

"_Calm down, Elena, he's ok. He survived being in a cave with her." Yeah, he survived it alright. _Damon thought.

"_Well, I guess that's a relief. Ok, gotta go. Are you still picking me up?" _

"_Yes, Elena, I'll be there."_ and they ended their call.

Elena felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"_What is it, Elena?"_ Bonnie picked up on her friend's far away look as she hung up from the call.

"_I guess it's nothing. Here's Lucy's number." _

Caroline was seated in a booth waiting for Damon to show up at The Grill and was a bit more than worried about what she was going to tell him about Tyler or that she exposed what she has become to Tyler. She may be a vampire with all the powers that come with being one, but Damon still scared her a bit. After all, she was the equivalent of a baby fresh out of the womb to Damon's 145 years as a vampire. But he still didn't scare her as much as Katherine who thankfully is locked away.

She looked up from her cup of coffee to see Damon sitting across from her.

"_Hey",_ she said.

"_You look worried"_, Damon said.

"_It's about Tyler. Okay, I may as well spill. Tyler knows I'm a vampire." _Caroline kept her voice to almost a whisper.

Damon looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. _"How?"_

"_He got too aggressive one day and I was defending myself. He could tell from my strength that I'm not human. But I swear I didn't tell him who turned me nor about you and Stefan. He's completely in the dark. He didn't even ask how I came to be a vampire."_

"How much time have you been spending with Tyler?"

"_Enough to know that he's terrified about what he's going to endure tonight. Yesterday, we went down into this underground dungeon on his family's property and...I found a journal that Mason kept of his first transformation. There was also a camera card inside and we watch the whole thing, Damon. The transformation took hours. Mason chained himself in a basement somewhere the entire time. Damon, it was excruciating. Tyler knows that he's going to have to do the same if he wants to protect everyone from what he will become."_

Damon took it all in. Tyler was going to transform and there was nothing any of them can do for him. "Why do you even care?"

"_Tyler has no one. At least not one of his kind. I had to go through this all by myself at first until Stefan began helping me to cope and get a grip on things. Elena is my friend and she understands. I just...feel so sorry for him. Nobody should have to endure that alone. Oh, speaking of Stefan where is he?" Caroline looked around The Grill expecting to see him._

"Stefan is in the tomb...with Katherine."

"_He's WHAT!"_ Caroline couldn't help herself. "_How?"_

"Saving Mini-Gilbert's life". Damon continued. "Jeremy got it in his head that since he's human and has his immortal ring and with a little help from some witchy knock-out dust he would go in and get the moonstone and get out before Katherine revived. Except it didn't happen exactly as he planned. Stefan ran in before Katherine could take another bite out of him and now he's trapped."

"_That's crazy! Is there anything I can do to help? Poor Stefan. He must going crazy in there."_

Damon leaned across the table. "It's just as crazy as you befriending a werewolf." Caroline looked uneasy. "I'm not telling you what to do, just protect yourself. A werewolf bite can kill you." As much as Blondie sometimes annoyed him, he has seen a different side of her since she became a vampire. A much more confident Caroline.

Caroline nodded. _"I will."_ She knew that it may not be possible to stay with Tyler throughout the whole ordeal, but she was going to try to stay as long as possible.

"I've got to go pick up Elena. Just make sure wolf boy is chained up nice and tight." Damon said as he slid out of the booth. Caroline gave him a sideways glance as he did so.

Elena was pacing back and forth out the school alternating between that and looking at her watch and then she saw his car pulling into the parking lot. She rushed to his car. _"I've been waiting forever for you to get here,"_ Elena said.

"_Hmmm...glad to see you missed me." _Damon gave her one of his trademark smiles.

When they got back to the Gilbert house, the house was empty. Jeremy wasn't home yet and neither was Jenna. Damon followed her into the kitchen. "Bonnie is on her way here with Lucy." She said as looked in the refrigerator for something to drink and finding only bottled water.

"_Look, Elena, whatever happens once that tomb is open you need to talk to Stefan." _They were face to face. He took the bottle from her hand and took a sip. _"Of course I'm going to...Damon is there something you're not telling me?_ Damon put his hands on her shoulders. _"Just promise that you'll talk to him."_

Elena knew there was more. "_Why? I've had a feeling all day that you've not told me everything."_

The doorbell rang and he couldn't have been more relieved.

After introductions were made Lucy made her condition known. _"After Bonnie and I complete the spell, I'm outta there, ok. No doubt I'm not one of Katherine's favorite witches after what I did to the moonstone."_

Damon agreed. _"Nobody is Katherine's favorite anything. It will give me nothing but pleasure to rip her heart out. Don't worry...much."_

"_Have you ever done a spell of this type? _Damon asked.

"_You saw what I did to the moonstone. My energy and Bonnie's can break the seal long enough for your brother to get out."_

They lit a couple of torches and combined with the flashlights they made their way down the stairs to the entrance of the tomb. The only other light was that of the full moon overhead.

"_Stefan!" _Elena called out. _"Are you ok?" _

Bonnie opened up the grimoire so that she and Lucy could begin the spell. Damon stood beside Elena and eyeing her every move. He was prepared to run inside first to see what was going on. He didn't like the silence. If he had to, he would protect Elena as a long possible from what she might find inside – that Stefan had betrayed Elena.

The winds picked up causing the flames to flicker in the darkness as Lucy and Bonnie spoke the Latin words of the spell. _"Go!Go! It's open! " _They both spoke at the same time. Damon vamp sped inside. "Stefan! The seal is broken. We've gotta go now!" As he rounded the corner, Stefan pulled away from Katherine who was still just as naked as she was that morning. Elena came up behind Damon. Damon turned to try to block her, but she could see the very thing he was protecting her from all day. _"Hello Elena." _Katherine said in her most sultry voice. _"Stefan is even better than I remembered"_ before she sped out of the tomb. Elena was speechless, but the hurt was evident on her face. Her world had just dropped out from under her. She turned and ran from the tomb.

Stefan went after her. "Elena, please...I'm so sorry."

Elena ran back to the car. "Stay away from me!" How could you? With her? The tears had started to stream down her cheeks.

"_How could you Stefan? _ She fought hard to hold the tears at bay. _"I've got to get out of here."_

Damon past Stefan on the way over to his car. He gave his brother a look that said they would deal with this later.

"_C'mon, I'll take you home." _His voice barely a whisper in a her ear as he opened the car door.

She looked back at Stefan, who stood there with his head hung in shame.

"_I don't want to be alone with my thoughts." _Elena said. _"I don't want to go home. Take me anywhere but home, Damon." _


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

**A/N – Real life has been kicking my butt, but I promise to have regular updates. Glad everyone is liking the story so far.** **Now that I've seen "By the Light of the Moon" I'm glad I'm taking the story in a certain direction. Hope you enjoy this update!**

* * *

Road trips have always been their thing. The first time, Elena ran when she discovered her nemesis picture lying on Stefan's desk. That led to a car accident, Damon coming to her rescue and a trip to Atlanta. He asked her to take a time out from her life then. Tonight is one of those times.

"What are you thinking about", Damon asked his eyes fixed on the road ahead. They had been in the car for a couple of hours now with no particular destination in mind.

"I don't want to think right now.", Elena sighed. They past a motel and it was their luck that there were vacancies. "How about we stay at that motel that we just past?"

Damon turned, giving her pointed look that said, are you sure you want this and then he pulled the car over to shoulder and put it in park. "What are we doing, Elena...me and you? I'm here for you, but you've got to tell me."

Right now? Right now all she wanted to do was put as much distance as she could between her and Mystic Falls and Stefan as she could. She wanted a distraction and the motel and the bar across from it could provide the distraction that she needed. "Remember what you said to me when were on our way to Atlanta – take a time out from my life for five minutes?"

"Like it was yesterday." said Damon having figured out where she was going with it.

"Well, this is one of those times when I need that time out. The difference this time is that you're my friend."

The circumstances were not much better than last as far as Damon concerned, but Elena had a point – they have their friendship again and he wasn't about to screw it up this time.

Elena suggested they get a room at the motel which could be described as a step above a dive, but the room was clean. Damon paid for the room and got the key. After entering the room, Elena noted there was only bed.

"Really, Damon they didn't have room with two beds?" She looked at him skeptically.

Damon smirked. "No, Elena. I don't think too many of the guests in this fine establishment request a room with two beds. I'm telling you right now I'm not looking forward to sleeping on the floor." as he walked around the small room, checking out the bathroom.

It was still early-ish and music coming from the bar across the street caught Elena's attention. She pushed the curtains aside and noticed several people headed inside. "Do you want to go check out the place across the street?" She turned slightly and felt Damon beside her. "Only if you do. You're still under age. Unless I use compulsion on the bartender he's not going to serve you."

"I think I can probably find a way to get him to agree."

"And how do you propose that?" Damon asked incredulously.

"Well...I haven't figured it out yet. But I bet you that I can and if I win you buy me two shots and if you win I'll buy yours."

"Now, that I want to see and yes you can buy when I win." He agreed, laughing at her certainty that she was going to win their bet.

* * *

All the tables were occupied and the only place to sit was at the bar. As they approached the bar, Damon grabbed her arm. "Why don't you let me take care of the bartender...it'll be whole lot easier." "No, Damon we have a bet remember." Elena refused to consider changing her mind.

The guy behind the bar finished pouring drinks at the far end of the bar and then placed two napkins in front of each of them.

"So what will it be?" he asked. Damon ordered his usual, a bourbon. The bartender took a look at Elena, who probably was young enough to be his daughter. "And I'll take yours as soon as I see some ID."

Damon had his back to the bar, watching the scene out on the dance floor while listening to everything Elena was saying to the bartender. Elena beckoned for him to come closer. "You know you could lose your liquor license. I see several girls in here that I know are under age. If you don't want me to call this into the ABC, I suggest you forget about my ID. Elena reached into her purse as if to retrieve her cell phone.

Before she could get it out. "So what are you having?"

Elena gave Damon a sideways glance who was pretending not to notice.

"How about two shots of Silver Patron." The bartender poured the shots and started a tab.

"You're good. I'm impressed." Damon remarked when he turned to her after she passed him his drink.

Damon paid the whole tab that night.

It was all about having some fun. Elena learned how to line up a pool shot thanks to Damon's coaching and as they were both pretty drunk he managed to sneak in a little kiss on her cheek which she didn't mind. Not that he was trying to take advantage of her inebriated state, but everything seemed right. There was their lives to face when they returned to Mystic Falls, but for now time seemed to stand still for them.

"You're definitely better at this game than I am." Elena said. Her speech was a little slurred.

"Hey, you could've made that shot if you had just focused. That wasn't even the ball you were supposed to be aiming for." Damon laughed, but it wasn't at her but rather because of the sight of her when she has had clearly a few too many. Elena handed him the pool cue.

"I'm going to find some good music on the jukebox." She said as she walked off leaving him watching her. His eyes never left her for a moment. Their lives were still in danger and though they probably weren't being followed at the moment, but the last time they took a trip proved that anything is possible.

A very familiar song started playing. "Come dance with me." she said when she returned to his side.

The dance floor was small with only one other couple who shared the space. They held each close and Elena melted into his embrace. She felt safe and it felt right for some reason.

It was moments like this that Damon wished he hadn't taken away her memory of him having told her that he loves her. He pulled back to look into her eyes. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just enjoying this dance with you", Damon replied.

His eyes have always had a hold on her. Her heart flutters because of what he is capable of making her feel. It scares her that he is capable of awakening desires and feelings that go beyond sexual.

They were nearly the last customers when someone rung what sounded like a cow bell announcing last call.

* * *

"I guess that's our cue to get outta here." Damon escorted her off the dance floor.

His arm was slung over her shoulder as they walked back to the motel. "Ya know I would've made that shot." Elena giggled. "Sure you would." Damon laughed going along with her profession that she wasn't drunk.

Elena had the key in her jeans pocket. "Let me." Damon said trying to take the key from her.

"No, I'm perfectly...capable of opening the door." After a few seconds of near misses of lining up the key with the key hole, Damon put his hand over hers to guide the key into the lock. She looked back at him with a raise eyebrow. "I didn't say anything." Damon said as they entered the room.

If Damon had known better, he would swear Elena had turned vampire. It seemed almost surreal that she was on him in flash after he turned the lock on the door.

It caught him by surprise that she had pushed him against the door. Her body was pressed against his and her lips sought out his. The kiss caught him surprise, but he found that he had no choice but allow her tongue entrance. Their kiss was fierce. He tasted and savored every bit of her. His hands framed her face as they deepened their kiss. She pulled him closer to her if that was at all possible so there was no space between their bodies.

Elena could feel the evidence of his arousal as she pressed herself against him. She pulled his shirt out of his jeans so that she could feel the taut muscles of his stomach and back. Not wanting to break the kiss, her lips traveled to his jawline and his neck.

Her arousal, as well as his own called to him to take it further. If this was anyone but Elena, he would have no problem. "Elena..." He found it hard to pull away from her. His hands brushed aside her hair as his lips sought out the soft skin of her neck.

"Ummm...what?" Elena continued to rain kisses on his neck, sucking at the sensitive skin.

Damon pushed away from her. His breathing heavy. "Not like this."

"Why not like this?" Elena pouted. She pulled away a little.

"Because I don't want any regrets tomorrow. You're drunk and...there's Stefan. Tell me you wouldn't be with him right now if not because of what he did."

It was sobering to have the brakes put on, but Elena knew he was right. Her feelings for Damon surprised her. She had run from them, pushed them out of her mind up until now. If she was truthful to herself, yes she would still be with Stefan and still denying her feelings for his brother. Isn't it wrong to have these feelings? She's not a cheater like her doppleganger counterpart. Her feelings for Damon scared her up until now. She had to admit that no matter how hard she tried, she could never hate him. If anything her feelings were growing and evolving.

"How do you know I'd regret it?" She asked.

Damon pulled her to him. He held her a long moment. "Because I know you and just yesterday you loved my brother." He kissed her forehead before releasing her.

Elena kicked off her shoes and laid down on the bed. "You still want to sleep with me? I mean just sleep." She wanted to break the tension between them.

"You know you're going to destroy my reputation. Usually sleep would come much later. This is the second time we've shared a bed where nothing happened." He smirked as he laid next to her.

"Whose fault is that tonight?" sticking her tongue out at him.

Damon watched her as she pulled her shirt her over head and then shimmied out of her jeans while still on the bed. She tossed the clothes onto the floor. But she kept her panties and bra on. His body started to responded to her near nakedness next to him. He closed his eyes willing the erection away.

Elena crawled under the covers and so did he after he undressed and crawled under the covers with her. Lucky for Elena, he was wearing boxers this time.

He reached over and turned off the light.

Damon laid there for a long minute looking at the ceiling. He turned onto his side to face Elena who was still awake. "Hey, get some sleep. Tomorrow will be all too soon." he said softly.

"I know." She sighed sadly as she turned onto her side away from him.

Elena snuggled her body closer to his hoping that he would hold her until she fell asleep.

The scent of her hair and the closeness was intoxicating to the point where Damon thought he should reconsider making love to her.

"Goodnight." It felt almost too good to have her in his arm.

"Thanks for putting up with me tonight."

As her breathing slowed and he knew she was fast asleep in his arms, he whispered "Love you."

* * *

Stefan appeared in her bedroom. It was well past 3 a.m. There was no evidence that she had been there. Everything was in its' place as usual and the only thing occupying her bed was her teddy bear. His worse fear had come to life. Elena was with Damon.

* * *

**SMUT IS COMING SOON! **3

Please let me know what you think of where the story is going. There will be another update by Wednesday or Thursday. Just hang in there. There will be some Elijah. I can promise you that.

Hope you readers are going to first ever TVD convention in March 2011. I'm planning on it!


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Ow, my head." Elena woke up. Her head was pounding. Light was peeking through the drapes into the room which didn't help. She could hear the water running in the shower. Thoughts of the previous night flooded her thoughts. What was she going to do when she got back to Mystic Falls? She wasn't ready to face Stefan, but she knew that she had to get it over with sooner rather than later. Thoughts of what Stefan had done with Katherine hurt and it enraged her. How could he do that with _her_ of all people. She rolled over onto her back Being in a motel room with Damon..._oh, god what did I do last night?_ She took a peek under the covers. She remembered kissing Damon. Nothing else happened, right?

Her thoughts were broken when she heard the door open. His skin was still glistening with water as he strode into the room clad in nothing but a towel. "Hey", she said.

"How are you feeling today?" Damon asked knowing that she must be feeling the after-effects of the night before. His voice was low.

"My head is killing me." She watched as Damon crossed the room to find his discarded clothes from the night before. "I have to talk to him you know." Her eyes focused on the comforter.

She looked up to see him naked but facing away from her as he put on his boxers. He is exquisite, she thought to herself. She felt her body grow warm thinking of him in that way. It was a feeling of desire for him that she was familiar with when she saw him in few clothes but it had always made her feel guilty.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Elena, but it seems to me that Stefan has unresolved feelings

for that little bitch and that is what you need to find out." He said as he put on his jeans. His mood was serious rather than flippant.

Elena nodded in agreement, but it had suddenly gotten harder to be in the room with Damon and not want to do things with him that she might regret later. "I'm going to take a shower." She scampered off the bed and into bathroom with her clothes.

When Elena came out of the bath she was dressed. Damon had returned from checking them out. "We're all checked out and I brought you something that might make the throbbing in your head go away." He held up the package of aspirin and a bottle of water.

"Thank you." She took the package and opened it. Popping the two pills in her mouth and downing them with some water.

Soon enough they were on the road back to Mystic Falls.

* * *

Elena was met by Jeremy when she walked through the door. "Where have you been? Stefan came by looking for you."

"I don't want to talk it." Elena did not meet his eyes and walked into the kitchen to the refrigerator rummaging through it for anything that looked appealing.

"Uh, did you guys have a fight?" Jeremy pried a little deeper.

"I said I don't want to talk about it, Jeremy." as she retrieved a carton of orange juice.

There was a knock on the door and Jeremy went to see who was there.

Elena could hear Stefan's voice. She tried to tamp down the anger inside before it erupted like a volcano.

She looked up to see Stefan. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was like ice.

"Elena, I'm so sorry, but will you just let me explain what happened yesterday?" His voice was pained. "Can we talk outside?"

"Whatever." Elena took her glass of juice and headed for the door brushing past him.

They sat on the swing outside.

"Katherine kept pushing my buttons. She brought up our past, that I still love her. I really have no excuse for what I did. It was fueled by rage and I regretted it afterward because I betrayed you and what we have together." He tried to look into her eyes, but she refused to look at him.

"But you did Stefan and with her. She screwed up our lives. She turned Caroline and compelled Jenna. She is responsible for triggering every bad thing that has happened to all of us lately. Yet, you let her play you, too. I was so naïve to believe that you were over her." She shook her head fighting the tears that threatened to escape.

"Elena look at me, please. You were not naïve to believe it. I am over Katherine. I will never be that vulnerable again. I can promise you that..."

He was cut off mid-sentence.

"Stefan, there is no need promises. How can I ever trust you...how can I ever trust that you won't fall for whatever manipulation she has planned. Maybe you do still love her and you're just not willing to face it." She got control of her emotions and could face him now. "I can't handle that. It's over Stefan."

She got up to go back into the house. Stefan took her hand as she started to get up. "Please, Elena, I love you." He pleaded.

"That's the problem! You say that, but I'm not feeling that love." Elena pulled free from Stefan's grip and went into the house locking the door behind her.

* * *

**A/N I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this story. I thought I'd write a short chapter for now since it's Christmas Eve and a longer one over the weekend. Stefan is really in the dog house and he's not getting out anytime soon. **


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

7:33 p.m. Mystic Grill

Alaric ordered his usual, a bourbon over ice as he pondered his new found relationship with Jenna. It had only been a recent turn of events that he and Jenna had taken their relationship to the next level and he liked things as they stood between them. He noticed the blonde woman sitting a few bar stools down from him. She gave him a passing glance, but continued her conversation with George, the bartender. Alaric didn't recognize her as one of the Happy Hour regulars at The Grill. As more bar patrons had started to filter in after he arrived, so did the rise in noise. Not wanting to eavesdrop, he couldn't help but overhear a familiar name – Mason Lockwood. That got his attention and while he nursed his drink, he also hoped to catch more of what was said. _"I talked to him not all that long ago. When was the last time he came in here?"_

Alaric picked up his cell phone off the bar and sent a text to Damon

_'thought you should know. someone is looking for ML The Grill.' _

Damon's phone beeped. He read Alaric's message. Anyone looking for Mason Lockwood could mean trouble for him.

_'Be there in 10. Don't leave.'_

True to his word, Damon showed up. Although he hadn't bothered to get a description of the person making inquiries into Mason Lockwood's whereabouts, his guess was that it was the attractive female sitting at the bar. He has been in Mystic Falls long enough to recognize the regulars and she wasn't one of them. He spotted Alaric and joined him at the bar and ordered his usual.

"Is she the one?" he said, taking a long swallow of his drink.

"Yep, that's her. The bartender didn't know anything, so she got nothing, but she's hanging around scoping out the place." Alaric said in a low voice while focusing on his drink.

"Hmmm...she must be one of Mason's friends from Florida. I wonder...if she's human or a werewolf. There's only one way to find out."

"Damon, don't push it. If she is a werewolf..."

"Don't worry about it, Ric. I'm just going to do a little inquiring with the help of spiking her drink."

Damon took his drink and made his way over to where the blonde sat. "Anyone sitting here?"

"No, be my guest." She nodded to him.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before. My buddy over there and I noticed you." Alaric held his glass up to the both of them.

"Well, I just got into town today", she informed him.

"Oh, where are my manners, I'm Damon and yours?" he asked flashing her smile.

"Jules". They shook hands. "Actually, I'm in town because I've become concerned about a friend of mine."

"Oh, really," said Damon. "Who is your friend? I may be able to help."

"Do you know Mason Lockwood?"

"Oh, yeah, I know Mason. Great guy. He comes in here from time to time." Damon couldn't tell if the woman beside him was just benignly concerned about Mason or if she suspected something.

"Mason hasn't been seen or heard from in a couple of weeks and his voice mail box is full." She explained. "I thought I'd track him down in the last place I knew him to be."

Their conversation was interrupted by the chirping of Jules' cell phone. She checked the number. "You'll have to excuse me for a moment. I've got to take this" as she got up to step outside.

Damon watched her exit the Grill and then slipped his hand in his pocket. He checked to see if anyone would see him slip the white powder in her drink. No one except Alaric who had been keeping a low profile on the opposite end of the bar saw what he was doing.

"Hope everything is ok," Damon said when Jules returned.

"Just a friend checking that I made here okay."

"Well, here's to finding Mason. I'm sure he'll turn up at some point." Damon raised his glass and so did Jules. But she didn't take a sip of her drink.

Damon noticed that she didn't take a sip of her drink. Perhaps she was on to him. He casually looked to Alaric who nodded.

"Well, I hope I see you again." Damon said as he got up to leave. "It was nice meeting you." He smiled.

"Damon, don't think I don't know what you are and your little fishing expedition didn't go unnoticed. I don't know if you have anything to do with Mason's disappearance, but I will find out." Her voice was low, but it was threatening.

Damon looked at her incredulously. "You don't know anything about me." as he walked away.

As they left the bar, Damon noticed the full moon. If she is a werewolf, she will be making her transformation tonight. He and Ric parted ways with him returning to the boarding house.

* * *

Normally, he wouldn't have bothered locking the door, but it made him feel better to lock it just the one time. As we walked further into the house, the noticeable presence of a heartbeat registered with him. Rose was back.

"What are you doing here? Anybody ever tell you breaking and entering is illegal. I thought you were long gone." he said coldly. He tossed his keys on the side table.

Rose smiled. "I had second thoughts about 500 miles from here. I'm sorry I ran the way I did. It's just..."

Damon finished her sentence for her. "You're so used to running that it's second nature and you realized that you have nowhere to stay."

"I came back because of you. You need a friend and so do I. Plus I want to help you figure this whole Elijah and Klaus thing out and protect Elena." She approached him. "And I don't have anyone."

Damon couldn't stay mad at her. They had only known each other for a few days, but he liked having her around. She showed a vulnerability that caught him by surprise when he saved her from being burned by the sun after the window was blown out at Slater's coffeehouse. He sensed that she needed him. In the 145 years since becoming a vampire he couldn't recall someone needing him. But she knew where they stood. He would always love Elena, but Rose was there for him in other ways that mattered.

A loud bang and glass shattering interrupted his thoughts. It was came from the hallway. He and Rose approached the door with caution. They both noticed the broken window and looked down to see a...wolf...werewolf. It snarled at both of them. Before they could react, it lunged. Damon pushed Rose out of the way taking the full brunt of the animal throwing him to the floor. His put his arms up in a defensive move and to get the animal off him. Rose found something to hit the beast which distracted it allowing Damon to roll out of the way and get to his feet. The attack was over as fast it started and as suddenly as the werewolf appeared, it was gone.

"Are you hurt? Did it bite you"? Rose ran to Damon to check on him.

"I...I don't know." Damon looked down to see blood on his t-shirt. They felt the fear in the other before he pulled his shirt up to find a gash on his stomach and they both let out a sigh of relief when they watched the wound heal completely.

"I guess that story about a werewolf bite can kill a vampire is an urban legion after all." Damon smile. "See good as new." Rose gave him a hug out of gratitude that he had essentially saved her life and almost at the expense of his own, but also she was relieved that he wasn't going to die.

"I'm going to go take a shower and change. Be back in a few." he said as he pulled away from her.

* * *

There were 37 voice mails on Elena's phone not to mention the numerous texts from Stefan. Elena tossed the phone on her bed as she fell against her pillows. She was still angry and feeling just as betrayed. As far as she was concerned there was no going back – at least not in the foreseeable future. Sleep was not possible even though she had tried numerous times. Her thoughts turned to Damon. It gave her comfort to think about him being there for her; taking care of her and not taking advantage of her drunken state the night before. He didn't try to tell her what to think about his brother. Only she knew that she came on to him not just because she was drunk but because she wanted him. She sighed in frustration. It was obvious that he must not have seen it that way.

Her phone rang again, but she had told herself that she wouldn't look at the caller ID, but it "Damn him!" Elena grabbed the phone, but instead of it being Stefan, it was Damon calling.

"Hi Damon, what's up?"

"It's Rose."

Elena was puzzled. "Rose? I...thought you had left town. Why are you calling from Damon's phone?"

"It's a long story, but I need you to come to the boarding house. It's Damon. I'll tell you when you get here." Before Elena could get another word out, the line went dead. Whatever it was, Elena sensed that it was very bad.

* * *

Rose greeted Elena at the door when she arrived. "What's wrong, Rose? Where is Damon?" She could see the fear in her face.

"Damon doesn't know that I called you, but I need your help. He was bitten by a werewolf tonight."

Elena's jaw dropped. "He what?"

"At first it healed and he was fine, but then the wound came back but worse than before. Now there are other symptoms like the fever and uncontrollable chills."

"Oh, my god, Rose. Where is he?"

"He is in there, but prepare yourself. He's really sick."

Elena ran into the parlor and stopped dead in her tracks for a moment. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace, but Damon was wrapped in as several blankets but it was still apparent that he couldn't get warm enough.

"Damon, what happened...Rose told me a little." Elena ran to his side. She knelt in front him. Brushing his hair from his face. Beads of sweat covered his brow and his teeth were chattering.

"Damn Rose for...calling...you."

"No, don't say that Damon she did the right thing." She stroked his face to get him to focus on her. "Where did you get the bite? She couldn't see any bite marks from her vantage point.

Damon pointed to his stomach.

"Let me see how bad it is."

"No! He responded. A little bit harsher than he had intended, but he didn't want her to see how bad it had become.

"Ok. We'll figure out how to cure you."

"Don't go doing anything stupid because of me. My body could be fighting this."

"Damon, you know a werewolf bite can kill you. I'm not going to take that chance. You mean too much to me for me to stand by and watch you die." She moved closer to pull him into an embrace to let him know that she was there for him and to give him some of her warmth. She rested her head on his shoulder. "You're not going to die,ok. I'm going to make sure that it doesn't happen." A tear rolled down her cheek as she pulled him closer.

* * *

**A/N I know I promised smut soon, but this story takes time. It's coming. Elena is finally realizing that she loves Damon. First, she has to come through for him with a cure. Thanks for all the positive feedback.**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"And how do you think you're going to find a cure, Elena?" Rose blocked Elena's exit from the house. She had overheard Elena's promise to Damon.

"I...I don't know Rose, but I have to try anything to help him." Elena was face to face with the woman in front of her. "Right now I'm afraid the more time he's like this it's only going to get worse, so will you please step aside so I can leave."

"Good luck. I'm here for him, too, and I'll keep you posted if he gets any worse." Rose said quietly.

Elena nodded as she left the boarding house. At least Damon wasn't alone while he is going through it. She dug her keys out of purse and was confronted by Stefan. "Elena..."

Elena pushed past him to get to her car. "Wait", he said. "Why are you here?"

Elena frantically unlocked her car door to get in, but Stefan held it shut. "Stefan, move your hand." she said exasperated.

"You didn't answer my question," he said softly.

"Damon was bit by a werewolf last night." Elena was in her car in flash and was pulling out of the driveway leaving Stefan staring at her as she sped away.

* * *

Stefan ran into the boarding house to see Rose and Damon together. He could see his brother was in severe distress. "Elena told me what happened."

Damon looked up at his brother, but couldn't readily manage to say anything in response due to the constant shivering. "A werewolf broke through the window last night." Rose spoke up. She had gathered every blanket she could find to keep him warm.

"The sad thing little bro is that if I die from this you've screwed up what you had with Elena." Damon said as the shivering had seemed to subside.

"Damon, you're not going to die. There's got to be a cure out there and I'm going to do everything to see that you beat this." Stefan spoke up. He didn't want to fathom that he could lose his brother, but he also didn't want to believe that he had lost Elena forever, either.

"Where did it bite you?"

Damon pushed away the blankets because he was now very hot. He pulled up his shirt to reveal a wound that had now spread up his abdomen which caused Rose shrink back a little. His skin looked as though it was slowly being eaten away by a bacteria. It had only been a few hours since he was wounded and it was much worse than before. Stefan looked on in horror.

"You're burning up," Rose noticed from the heat coming off his skin. He had started to sweat profusely.

"Damon, look at me. Katherine must know something about what can stop this. I'm going to find her." Stefan was determined to make Katherine tell him everything she knows and if she didn't this time he would rip her to shreds or die trying.

.

"Don't hold your breath on that bitch telling you anything. If there's nothing in it for her, she's not going to...play." Damon drew out the last word.

"Don't be too sure about that." Stefan said before he sped from the house.

Rose noticed that Damon was becoming increasingly restless. "Hey, we're going to get you well, okay." She put her hands on his face which was very hot and he had begun to sweat. "I really fucked up this time. We got lucky with Mason." He looked into her eyes. There was a fear there that Rose had never seen before in the short time she has known him. The badass guy who was ready to stand and fight vampires who had come for Elena was deathly afraid of what would be his fate.

* * *

Elena pulled into her driveway. She had decided that her best bet was to call Bonnie because just maybe in her spell book there was something that could hold the key to werewolf bites. She pulled her phone from her purse and dialed Bonnie's number. The phone rang three times before voice mail picked up. Damn. She thought as she listened to Bonnie's voice mail greeting. "Hey Bonnie, I need your help urgently. Please, please call me back when you get this." She hung up the call. Her next call was to Caroline. "Hi, Elena, what's up?"

"Thank god you picked up. What happened last night with Tyler? Did he...?" She let the sentence trail off. She didn't care if she skipped the perfunctory pleasantries of the average conversation.

"He did transform. I was with him almost up to the moment it happened..."

"Caroline, you can't cut it close like that ever again. He could've attacked you!" Elena practically shouted into the phone.

"Calm down, nothing happened to me. Tyler was chained up and I sped out of there right before he made the complete change. When I went to check on him later, he was still there. But it was horrifying watching him in agony, Elena. He doesn't have anyone." Caroline frowned when she realized there was something wrong by Elena's voice. "Did something happen to you?"

"I'm sorry that I scared you. I'm okay, but Damon was attacked by a werewolf last night."

"Oh, my god, Elena."

"There must be another werewolf in town because if Tyler was chained up the whole time that's the only way he could've been attacked."

"Is there anything I can do?" Caroline asked.

Elena let out a breath, "Unfortunately, no. I left a message for Bonnie. Maybe there is something in her spell book about a cure. I'll call you later."

"Okay, keep me posted on how he's doing." Caroline said before hanging up.

As Elena walked up on her front porch to go inside, the figure of a man stepped out from the shadows.

Elena's eyes grew wide to see it was Elijah.

* * *

Stefan thought of the options as to where Katherine could've been staying while she's in Mystic Falls. There were abandoned foreclosures on the edge of town, but there were also a couple of bed & breakfasts in town, as well. He looked them up on his GPS and chose one of them to take a chance on find her.

He drove to the location and parked where she wouldn't be able to see him. With a little luck, he will catch her leaving and then make his move. Every minute he sat in his car he knew his brother could be closer to death. The sound of a car engine broke him from his thoughts. All his senses were alert, watching to see who got of the car. It was Katherine. How she had gotten another car was none of his concern. He was on her in a flash.

He had the upper hand for once because he caught her off guard and pinned her to the car by her throat. Without very much effort Katherine peeled his hands from her and spun him around so that his arms were pinned behind his back. "Is that any way to greet the woman you love, Stefan?" He was no match for her strength.

As she lessened her grip, they flipped places and once again he was on her, but not as before. He held her by her shoulders and his eyes bore into hers. "Bitch, tell me what you know about werewolf bites!"

"I told you what I know about werewolves. I don't pet them." She said glaring back at him.

"But you were fucking one of them." Stefan shot back.

"Tsk, tsk, Stefan that's no way to talk."

"Cut the bullshit and tell me." He wasn't letting go until he got answers.

"Hmmm...it's obvious that you're not the one in need of a cure, so let me guess. It's Damon." She pulled out of his grip. "I told him not to be the hero – that their bite can kill a vampire. But Damon being Damon he didn't listen."

Stefan reached out to pull her back to face him.

"Katherine, is there any decency left in there?" pointing to her heart. "Damon is suffering and he could die. Does that have any effect on you? He spent a century and a half loving you and his mission all those years was to rescue YOU!"

Katherine considered his words. She always loved Stefan and Damon...well he was good for one thing – sex. He took his pleasure from pleasuring her and making sure she was satisfied. But it wasn't her fault that he fell in love with her. "Why do you think I warned him to stay away from werewolves? Their bite is toxic. To my knowledge there is no cure, but maybe there is. From what I've heard there are several stages. The first is the fever and chills, next comes unbearable pain and the final stage is unquenchable blood lust and dementia. The only option at that stage is to kill him, Stefan."

"No, no, no! There has to be another way. I'm not going to kill my brother." His breathing was erratic and he sought to tamp down the anger that boiled beneath the surface.

"You may not have a choice." Katherine said coolly as she walked toward the porch of Mrs. Flower's Bed & Breakfast Inn.

* * *

"Hello Elena." Elijah greeted Elena as he approached her.

Elena couldn't quite grasp how he found her, but she was frozen where she stood. "Uh, uh, how, how did you find me?"

"Don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I think you're in desperate need of _my_ help right now." He said looking into her eyes and hinting that he overheard her phone conversation.

Elena turned away from him. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm the only one that can protect those that you love from Klaus when he comes for you. Because I'm the only one who knows where to get the cure you seek for Damon Salvatore." He replied in an accent that sounded old-world British. You don't have much of a choice, do you Elena?"

Elena turned back to him. "Why do you want to betray Klaus? I thought you were..."

"Working for him? Well, I guess you could describe it like that, but Klaus and I differed in opinion about the curse being lifted. Klaus is now rather reclusive and trusts almost no one but his inner circle – which I'm no longer part of. That's all that I will tell you."

Elena looked at him suspiciously. "So what do you want with me?"

"I don't need you for anything right now. See, I don't want the curse lifted."

Elena nodded, but was even more confused.

"All I ask is that you help me draw out Klaus when the time comes and I will kill him. He will no longer be a threat to your family and friends."

Elena knew that she could be striking a bargain with the devil, but she was out of options. Damon's life was on the line.

"And you will tell me how to cure, Damon, right?"

"I'm a man of my word. Yes, I will tell you. He continued. But I also want you to agree to stop taking unnecessary chances with your life trying to surrender to Klaus. Go about your normal activities and live your life."

"I will agree to those terms." She agreed because the life of her family meant more than her own. She agreed because Damon's life meant...more than her own. In this moment of shaking hands to seal the deal with Elijah, she realized just how much Damon meant to her.

* * *

Elena paced her bedroom waiting for that call from Elijah with instructions. She looked out her bedroom window several times to see if he was standing nearby. Her phone chirped.

"Rose? How is Damon?"

"He's worse. His screams are breaking my heart because he's in so much pain. I feel helpless because there is nothing I can do to make it at least tolerable."

"I'm waiting on a call from someone right now." Elena was hesitant to confide in Rose that she had a deal with Elijah. She looked out the window again and turned away from it walking to the other side of the room.

"Really?" Rose sounded skeptical, but hopeful at the same time.

Elena's phone beeped signaling an in-coming call. "I've got to go. I'll be there later. Tell Damon that help is on the way. That might make him feel a little better."

Elena clicked over to the other call. "Do you have it?"

"I said I'm a man of my word, Elena. Of course I have it. Come outside." Elena looked outside to see Elijah standing beneath the tree nearest her window.

Within moments Elena was standing in front of Elijah who held a large envelope. He handed her the envelope.

Elena looked inside the package that he handed over. Inside it were 5 capped syringes. She pulled them out.

"I'm going to give you instructions that must be followed to the letter." Elena acknowledged with a nod.

"They must be given near the area where he was bit."

Elena knew that meant he was going to have to be injected in his abdominal muscle.

"One shot is to be given immediately. The second one on day 5. The third on day 10. The fourth on day 21 and the final one on day 30. It's very important that he takes those shots on schedule or he can relapse." Elijah explained.

"I'll make sure that he takes them." Elena acknowledged again.

Elijah had started to walk away. "Wait. How soon will he start to recover?"

"The effects should start to be felt immediately. But continued improvement will be sustained by taking the rest of the injections." he replied.

"Elijah, thank you."

The vampire could hear the intense gratitude. There was no doubt that Damon Salvatore meant a lot to her. "You better hurry. Time is not on your side right now."

Elena drove as fast as she safely could without getting pulled over or getting into an accident herself. She made a call to Rose to tell her she was on her way. The vampire on the other end only words were to hurry.

The door to the boarding house was unlocked, but before she even entered she could hear his screams. She followed the sounds to the basement. Her heart almost dropped when she saw an enraged Damon. He was holding his head in obvious excruciating pain. The only time she has seen him in that much agony was as a result of Bonnie putting him through it. There were a number of overturned boxes. He was proceeding to put his fist through the wall and Rose was attempting to protect him from himself by pulling him back. He struggled against her.

"Rose, I've got it right here. Damon, I've got the antidote."

Damon turned towards her voice. He was breathless from his struggles. "What?"

"I've got it right here." Elena walked towards him cautiously with the syringe. He took a look at it and started to struggle again. "Get it away from me." he screamed.

"Damon, you're not making sense. That's going to cure you." Rose tried to reason with him as she pointed to the syringe in Elena's hand. He struggled more. Finally, Rose pinned him to the floor. Being the stronger one benefited the situation such as it was. "Hurry", she said to Elena.

Elena fumbled with the cap and scrambled to the floor. She pushed his shirt up and saw the severity of his condition which he had been reluctant to show her earlier. Her hands were shaking. "I've never given an injection to anyone", she admitted. "I'm supposed to give it to him through his abdominal muscle..."

"Just jab as hard as you can. You're not going to hurt him." Rose begged Elena to do it and not worry about anything else.

Elena took a deep breath and jabbed the needle deep into his stomach muscles plunging the contents inside his body and then withdrew it.

"GODDAMN! You crazy bitches!" Damon screamed it pain as Rose tried to control his movements. It burned like hell.

Elena tossed the needle aside and stood up. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't be offended. I'm not. He called me worse names before you got here." Rose explained.

Elena watched as he seemed to calm down. Rose cautiously released her hold on him. Damon sat up as though he was attempting to stand. He smiled at Elena. "Thank you." Then he passed out.

Elena rushed to his side scared that she may have killed him with a suspect substance. He was simply sleeping. She helped Rose get him off the floor with Rose bearing most of his weight. They got him upstairs and into his bed.

Both women looked at Damon sleeping peacefully. "I guess it will be a matter of time before we know if it worked." Rose said.

"Yes, it will, but I'm confident that he's on the road to recovery." There was so much she wanted to tell Damon when he woke up.

* * *

A/N – Hope you enjoyed this chapter. More good stuff to come. Hmmm...Damon will be curious about where Elena got that antidote.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

**A/N – This has been a long time coming. Sorry to leave you all hanging. Real life's a bitch! I promise that more chapters are coming. I'm trying to figure out if I want to bring Klaus into this story and how I want it to play out. Enjoy!**

Damon awakened to the early morning sun streaming through his window. The last thing he remembered was passing out after Elena stabbed him in the gut with a syringe. A fuzzy memory of calling her and Rose bitches also crept into his head. He laid there for a lazy moment. For the first time since he was attacked by the werewolf he felt well. He rolled over to his side to find four syringes with a yellowish liquid inside. He reached over and picked up one of them to study the object. There was a knock on his knock on his door. "Come in."

"How are you feeling", Rose asked as she entered. The sunlight was bright so she stayed closest to the door.

"Surprisingly well," replied Damon as he padded over to the window to close the draperies. "How long have I been out?"

Rose walked further into the room and sat on the bed. "Probably about 12 hours. Elena stayed with you for awhile after we got you up here, but she had to leave."

"Is this the cure?" Damon pointed to the needles on his bed side stand.

"Elena said it is, but she didn't say how she got it, but you won't need another one until five days from now, then day 10, day 15, 21 and the final one on day 30." Rose stood up. She took the syringe from his hand. "But I'm so happy that it worked", she said as she placed a soft kiss on his lips. She hooked her arms around his neck as the their kisses became more urgent.

* * *

"Oh, my god, Elena, Stefan cheated on you?" Elena had just filled Caroline in on everything that had happened over the last few days.

It still hurt to tell the story. Elena tried not to think about Stefan, but it was hard not to because there was still unfinished business between them. "And now you know why I've ignored Stefan all day. He has tried to apologize; wants to make things right between us, but I can't do it. Maybe I don't know him as well as I thought I did." Elena looked down at the food she had barely touched

Caroline reached to touch her friend's hand. "Whatever you decide to do will be for the best," Caroline said trying to comfort her best friend.

"Damon has been there for me through all of it..." Elena's thoughts wandered to him.

"How is he...the werewolf bite and all?" Caroline inquired.

"Much better. I stayed with him much of last night." Elena stifled a yawn because she didn't get much sleep. "He was still sleeping when I left."

"Hey...how did you pull that off, any way?" Caroline asked out of curiosity.

"I don't think I can tell you that as I haven't even told Damon and I know he's not going to like what I have to tell him."

Caroline saw the seriousness on her friend's face. "How...why would he not like what you have to say?"

"Because he's not going to like the deal that I made..." Elena looked straight at Caroline.

"What is going on between you and Damon?" Caroline had seen the closeness between them.

"We've become very close. When I thought I was about to lose him forever it nearly drove me crazy." There she had admitted it.

"Listen to what you're saying. It almost drove you crazy when you thought you were about to lose him. I think you've fallen in love with him."

Elena didn't respond to the statement because in her heart, she knew it was true. She tried to deflect from further addressing her feelings for Damon.

"How is Tyler doing?"

"He's dealing. There won't be a full moon for awhile. I feel for him and what he had endure. Words just can't describe the transformation. I watched him go through agony." Caroline sighed at the thought of watching it again.

"He has a good friend in you." Elena tried to give her a comforting smile to ease her.

His back was facing away from the picnic tables where Elena was sitting with Caroline. They didn't seem to notice that he was sitting on the grass. Although Elena didn't answer Caroline about loving his brother, he knew it was true. If he was honest with himself it was only a matter of time. What he did with Katherine just brought it to the surface. He didn't know if it was ever going to be possible to repair the damage he had done. Elena deserved so much better and he had let her down.

* * *

He heard her footsteps approaching is bedroom door. "Come in, Elena." His eyes were closed as he lie on his bed.

Elena entered the room. He was aware of her presence even if his eyes were closed and he looked remarkably at peace with his hand clasped behind his head. He gave her one of his trademark smirks after opening his eyes.

"How are you doing? You look so much better," Elena asked as she stood by his bed.

"I feel like a million bucks." His eyes didn't meet hers. There were so many questions running through his mind. "Hey, don't just stand there." Elena hesitated, but sat beside him on the bed.

Damon finally turned on his side to face her. "Elena, tell me, who gave that stuff?"

Elena looked down at her hands. "Elijah."

"Elijah?" Damon was off the bed in a flash. "How did he know?"

Elena looked up at him. "I don't know. He was outside my house and said he knew how to cure you."

"And what else? What did he want in return.?" Damon asked knowing that he wasn't going to like what she was about to tell him.

"He said that he would protect everyone that I care about if I stop putting my life in danger and if I help him draw out Klaus so that he can kill him."

"But he didn't promise that you will be safe, did he?" Elena was now standing face to face with him. Damon had picked up on the wording immediately.

"No...but it was the only way, Damon." She looked him straight in the eye. "I couldn't let you die. That was not option."

"And your life is valuable, which you don't seem to understand." Damon shot back.

:"This whole thing is about me, Damon. If I don't try to stop it, every one I love will die because just like Klaus killed Katherine's family, he'll kill mine and I'm not going to let that happen."

"Why not go down fighting, Elena? Fight to live. It's easy to give up, but it's harder to fight

"I couldn't let you die. You mean too much to me to let that happen and..."

They were so close to each other. His eyes bore into hers.

"And...what, Elena?" Damon urged her to continue.

"I love you." Her voice was barely above a whisper, She was drawn to his lips and they closed the small distance that separated them.

_More notes: I decided to end the chapter here. Chapter 8 promises to be smutty!_


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